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Noah Haidu: Standards

By Pierre Giroux
June 23, 2023
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A standard is defined as a musical composition that has become a part of the standard repetoire. The conventional wisdom suggests that this definition applies to popular songs of the twentieth century based on the premise that their popularity has lasted beyond the period of their initial publication. Pianist/composer

Noah Haidu

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Noah Haidu has taken this to heart on his persuasive album Standards.

Accompanied by a cohort of acclaimed sidemen including bassists

Buster Williams

bass, acoustic
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Buster Williams and

Peter Washington

bass
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Washington, drummer

Lewis Nash

drums
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Lewis Nash and alto saxophonist

Steve Wilson

saxophone
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Wilson, he has created an elegant, economical, and sure-footed exposition into this vision of the standards songbook. The session opens with "Old Folks" and "Just In Time." The former lopes along in a quietly ravishing way, while waiting for the bell to ring, while the latter dashes out of the gate. Nash and Haidu add to the interest with an exchange of breaks in sagacious fashion.

Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn wrote "All The Way" in 1957. It was made popular by

Frank Sinatra

vocals
1915 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Sinatra and introduced in the film The Joker Is Wild. Haidu's spare and sparse version of the number reverberates with collaboration and a sense of oneness. Wilson joins the band for the Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz composition "You and the Night and the Music," which debuted in the 1934 Broadway show Revenge With Music. This energetic version is filled with Wilson's nimble alto playing after which Haidu builds his solo with ardent and propulsive swing.

A couple of treasures of the standards songbook are

Hoagy Carmichael

piano
1899 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" and Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Mercer's "I Thought About You." Both are given exemplary treatment by Haidu. The final two tracks, "Last Dance I" and "Last Dance II," are Haidu originals, not standards, and feature the quartet configuration. Between Wilson's carbonated alto and Haidu's irrepressible piano, they provide a fitting capstone to the session.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Old Folks; Just In Time; Beautiful Friendship; All The Way; Someday My Prince Will Come; You and The Night and The Music; Ana Maria; Skylark; I Thought About You; Last Dance I; Last Dance II.

Personnel

Noah Haidu

piano

Buster Williams

bass, acoustic

Lewis Nash

drums

Peter Washington

bass

Steve Wilson

saxophone

Additional Instrumentation

Buster Williams: bass (1-4); Lewis Nash: drums (1-7, 9-11); Peter Washington: bass (5-7, 9-11); Steve Wilson: alto saxophone (6-7, 10-11).

Album information

Title: Standards | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records

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